Facing Tomorrow
by obsessedatopia
Summary: Stef and Lena help Callie and Jude process their thoughts and feelings before and after the adoption hearing. Chapter 1 takes place with Stef and Callie the night before and Chapter 2 takes place with all four of them immediately after court.
1. Facing Tomorrow

**OK - I was toying with doing another missing Stef/Callie scene from the premiere and there was a general consensus of "do it" so I did. As I realised that the time in the episode was tight i****t really ended up as a bit of a prequel but** I figured that this was a conversation that could have been had the night before anyway so I hope it works. It's not the most exciting fic but hopefully it'll give some depth - or maybe at the very least people who are always requesting Stef/Callie will have another exchange. I dunno! Anyway, I hope someone enjoys it.

* * *

Callie kicked her legs against the wall she was sat on. The night was cool and although she was nearly home she wanted to hang on for just a few more minutes. It had already been starting to get dark as she was leaving work, having taken the later shift, but it was only now she was noticing how bright the moon was against the darkness. The late shift was something she generally avoided doing as she knew Stef and Lena didn't like her coming home late on school nights, but when the opportunity came up for this particular day she had decided a full evening of work would be a nice distraction. She wasn't sure how she would feel about being in the house tonight, not the night before the court's decision. Her reluctance to go home was yet more confirmation she had made the right choice for her evening.

The process and wait for the ruling had been long with so much having happened since she first heard the name Robert Quinn. All of the fall-out from Vico and Brandon, something she couldn't help but feel involved with despite how many times she had been assured otherwise. Then there had been the pregnancy, the early stages rendering Lena ill for most of the early months and in general hormones making tensions unpredictable. She had enjoyed it though, in a strange way. Ever since Jude had been adopted things had felt firm, secure. Whatever happened now Jude was there forever, whether things were firm for her or not she could convince herself she had a permanent link to the family through him and that safety and settled feeling within the family had meant she hadn't thought too much about tomorrow - until tonight.

She wasn't even sure why she was dragging her feet. This was about her wanting to be with the family, not away from them, but then part of her knew as soon as she was in the house it would make what would happen if things fell through more vivid.

She felt a small buzz in her bag and quickly dived down. It was a second missed call from Stef, the first one apparently unnoticed. She squinted for a moment before noting the time and quickly jumped up from her position. She hadn't realised how long she had been sitting outside for. Tapping at her screen while she ran, she quickly sent a text saying she was nearly home. She slipped into the house with a vague hope that Stef had just been checking in and was otherwise too busy to want her to justify herself in person. The figure pacing the hall as she returned proved she wouldn't be so lucky.

"Really?" Stef chastised gently, folding her arms.

"I honestly lost track of time, I just took a long route back." She bit her lip apologetically as Stef's shoulders dropped down.

"Honey, we don't like you working this late as it is. You said you were going to be getting a ride…" She added, her eyebrows creasing together though her tone was more concerned than angry.

"I…well, it fell through and I figured I needed the walk. It wasn't dark when I left. I just wanted to clear my head a little." She winced as Stef looked deep into her eyes. She knew what would be bothering Callie, she and Lena had been getting just as nervous, but she knew that Callie was trying to downplay her own fears. This seemed like a good opportunity to force them out of her.

"Uh-huh." Stef squinted, her tone now turning more playful. "Well then come, sit. We'll clear it a little more." She placed her hands on her shoulders and pointed her towards the sofa.

"You don't need to, really. I think I just wanna go to bed."

"You gonna be able to sleep?" Stef challenged as she continued to move her forwards before sitting down and patting the seat next to her. With a cross between a smile and an eye-roll Callie reluctantly sat down as Stef put her arm round her back across her shoulders.

"You're late home after doing something we weren't too hot on in the first place, don't you be rolling your eyes at me." She poked her gently with another playful chastisement as Callie took a deep breath, her mind still too focussed on the bigger things to truly concentrate.

"Now why don't you tell me what's going on in that beautifully busy mind of yours." Stef whispered softly, her tone increasingly gentle. "I'm not going to force you to talk about things you don't want to but we did agree we'd all try and be more open with our feelings, yes?" She brushed her daughter's hair back gently, Callie finally making eye contact.

"It's not that." She replied softly. "I'm not hiding things. I guess I'm just nervous. It's not anything you can really help me with. I'm just being…you know." She tried to hide her discomfort with a laugh as her hand twitched up to her nose. "You'll just be forced to say the same things you always feel you have to say."

Stef exhaled deeply as she began to twirl Callie's hair between her fingers, staring at her troubled eyes from the side. She remembered a time Callie would have never let her be sat this close, never mind with this much contact, but more and more she was accepting it with little resistance.

"Maybe you can tell me what you're nervous about – and I don't _feel_ I have to say anything, thank you very much." She teased squeezing her shoulder softly again before cocking her head to the side and locking Callie's eyes. "Come on love, talk to me." She let it hang for a moment as she saw the words were finally gathering on Callie's lips before she eventually began.

"I guess I'm just not sure I want tomorrow to come. On one hand it could all go our way and everything's perfect. It's done. No more limbo." She shrugged, the thought almost provoking a smile before her darker pessimism set in. "But on the other, if it doesn't then you know what the judge will say. It's going to be another new person I have to bring in…and…" She looked to Stef's expectant gaze unsure if she wanted to admit what she was thinking, something Stef immediately could detect.

"Honey, you don't have to protect me from your feelings." She whispered as Callie bit down and closed her eyes.

"If I have to choose either giving up on the adoption or another unknown road - well I'm not sure it'll be what you or Jude want to hear."

Stef rolled her head back and took Callie in a little tighter. This was a thought process she had expected, in some ways she probably had the same thoughts. There was nothing she wanted less than yet another person interfering in their lives but at the same time she had been trying to avoid having to consider them until she had to. Either way, there was a more pressing issue to address than her own thoughts – one she was glad Callie had given her the opportunity to.

"Now you listen to me." She began, pushing her own fears aside as she cupped her free hand on Callie's cheek. She forced her to look into her eyes hoping that she would only have to say this once.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever decisions you have to face, I don't want you to waste a minute of your time worrying about me or Lena or even Jude. Jude is safe."

"I know he is…" Callie immediately jumped in. "But it's still won't be the same for him." She looked back earnestly as Stef dropped her head down in sympathy and brushed her thumb against her jaw in a gentle caress.

"Then _we'll_ help him through that. It's not your job to try and protect him any more, as much as you always will. If there is a decision that has to be made then you have to make it for you, understood?"

Callie nodded, flicking one of her fingernails with her thumb as there was another brief silence. As genuine as Stef's words were, and as much as she knew they were true, protecting Jude was second nature to Callie – and what's more, she also knew it was how she best protected herself. Thinking of them as a package was how she reassured herself; she was under the impression she was reassuring him. The comparison took her back to the last time she faced a decision like this. She thought about the difference. This time she really was having to face that she was the only one she needed to protect. As much as she wanted to she couldn't lump Jude in with her, but in line with that the force now protecting Jude on her behalf also had some space for her and she could feel it around her body, its simple presence giving her strength to voice the words she always would have kept to herself in the past.

"When I went round to Donald's that time; that first time after I found out he was living here…I remember standing at the door and being so scared about what I was going to find, you know?" She looked forward, once again smiling in disbelief at the misfortune she had faced. "I guess with him I lucked out…if you can call it that." She shrugged before looking back to Stef. "But what are the chances of that happening again?"

Stef sighed gently, brushing her hand against the side of the young girl's face, knowing there was still more she wanted to say. She was desperate to bathe her in reassurance but at the same time she was disciplining her instincts not to rush Callie's developing confidence. Rewarded by her patience, Callie began to speak again.

"And at least I knew Donald – I mean, I wasn't sure whether he would have changed or whether I could face him or forgive him…but at least he was still my _Dad._" She looked back to Stef, her eyes wide and pleading. "I just don't know if I can be stood on another doorstep. I've waited on too many doorsteps." Her voice dropped as she instinctively shuffled closer into Stef who gladly held her in tighter. Both chests rose and fell in rhythm with each other as Stef gave her a lingering kiss on the head.

"You're part of this family, Callie." She whispered. "Whether we can make that official or not may not be in our hands, but it won't change it. Jude is our son, legally now and you're his sister. Even if you aren't our daughter on paper that won't change. If the judge rules against us tomorrow then we'll take it from there. You will have a choice to make and you will be able to make it with as little or as much involvement from us as you want – it will always be your decision - but honestly I think we have a pretty strong case."

She felt Callie's head nod gently as she let a long draw of air escape though her gritted teeth. "As I've said many times before, I can't promise it will all be fine, but I can promise you that any doorsteps you end up on we will be doing everything in our power to be right there with you – and if we can't then I will be on the doorstep of every judge in the state until someone lets me in." She rubbed Callie's arm swiftly as she was rewarded with a grateful smile.

"I'll also be on the doorstep waiting for you if you dawdle home from work this late again so no more of that, please." She squinted, trying to lighten the tone. It worked, prompting a shuffle beneath her.

"I'm sorry! Again." She smiled through a laugh. "I just really needed some air."

"Alright, well that's the end of these late shifts on school nights anyway. I know you accepted this one before we could say no, but take this as a no for future ones, yes? It's too late for you to walk back and clearly we can't trust you to actually get rides when you say you will…"

"OK, OK – I know." Callie nodded. "No more."

"Good." Stef smiled to herself at the sweet normality. In her own way she too was now wishing that tomorrow's ruling wouldn't come, just in case. She dismissed the thought, leaning forward again. "And you will be in this house for us to enforce that." She added, nuzzling the side of her head with a return to a playful threat.

Callie nodded, chuckling gently through her nose before Stef picked things up again.

"Is that you sufficiently mothered for now or is there anything else you want to talk about?" She asked brushing Callie's hair from her face again as she shook her head in response. "OK." Stef patted Callie's leg as she pushed herself off the sofa. "Well I'm going to go upstairs – you should think about heading too." She added.

"I won't be long." Callie smiled back, even though her eyes still told a different story.

Leaning forward to cup her cheeks again Stef kissed her forehead. "Try to put those fears aside, we've got you." She whispered until she was convinced of acknowledgement. As Callie's eyes swelled with appreciation, Stef gave her one last quick kiss on the head before she finally departed and disappeared up the stairs.

Callie flopped back against the sofa, her hand bracing her forehead. She could still feel the warmth of Stef's grasp, that blanket of security. More and more she was finding herself rely on it, treasuring it. A lot had changed since she was last dealing with this and part of her wondered if together she would have the strength to face another obstacle – one more risk now that the fall back situation was softer. At the same time though, it was that safety that made the gamble of altering things too much to risk. She had that security here and now and she couldn't bear to think of that being taken away again. Right now though, tomorrow was coming whether she wanted it or not – she just had to hope that when that gavel dropped it would be making that feeling permanent.

**Alright. I kinda wish I'd written this fic before Opening Closed Doors as I'm not sure if the psychology conflicts a little but I guess they are too separate stories anyway. Anyhow, thanks for reading and I would love to know thoughts (especially if they're nice ones)!**

**And hey - I've added another chapter too!**


	2. When Tomorrow Has Come

**OK - I was intending this to be a one shot but then I decided there was still more to be explored so it made sense to go for two. I also wanted to have some of Jude and Lena in there as really the situation involves them just as much. I did consider switching up the pairings but at the same time it is easier to go with the flow of the show and keep Stef/Callie and Lena/Jude for now - though there are interactions across all four. There's just a lot of love really...**

**Right so, here is a take on the scene after court. **

**Thanks for the reviews for yesterday and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :)**

* * *

"Denied."

The gavel dropped along with Callie's stomach.

_I know it's frustrating,_ he had said. Of course he does.

_'Frustrating'_ didn't even begin to cover the swell of dread and emotion eclipsing Callie right now. She couldn't even cover it with words from her own vocabulary. All she could hear were the muffled voices of Stef and Lena and her lawyer along with the vague feeling of hands and squeezes wrapping the back of her body. As she tuned back into the world she realised she'd left the courtroom and Stef was guiding her down the hall and taking her into a hug. A powerful, crushing hug. She saw Lena had her arms around Jude and that he seemed to be doing his best to fight back tears. Pulling away from Stef she instinctively drew herself to him and wrapped him up in her arms.

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" he whispered as she pulled away, bracing her hands on his shoulders.

She wished she could find some words to say but in reality she didn't know what reassurance to give. She had run out of stamina to believe any more empty words, let alone say them, plus she knew deep down she'd already made her decision with this outcome. The hypothetical situation had always drawn the same conclusion. She didn't want to go down that road, even if that meant giving up on the hopes of a family. Coming to terms with that herself was one thing though, saying it to Jude's face was another thing entirely, regardless of Stef's words last night. She turned her attentions to the side as she heard Donald's lulled whimper.

"I'm really sorry, Callie. I wish there was more I could have done." he explained, his eyes round and watery like they always seemed to be. Right now however, Callie didn't have time for those sentiments. Ever since he'd explained the situation months before she couldn't help but harbour a little resentment for Donald - after all, he was the only person here to focus her disappointment on.

"Of course you do." she muttered as Stef and Lena exchanged an anxious look. Donald's head dipped down, unsure of what to say in response to the frosty accusation.

"Look it's OK, we're all still here. We won't stop fighting, OK?" Stef hopped in, deciding to rescue either one from having to respond further.

"Stef's right. So it's another road bump. We're all still together and at least now we know what the next steps are, there's no more wondering." Lena added with a strong look between both children and an endless pool of optimism.

"But what are the next steps?" Jude challenged, his pool not quite as deep. "How will they find him?" Jude looked up innocently as Callie's mind still spun.

"The lawyers would take care of it." Stef assured him before Jude looked back.

"But will he want to talk to Callie? What if he lives far away?"

Callie hadn't taken in much of the conversation but Jude's words had cut through echoing all of the same questions she'd been asking herself, albeit with a simpler tone. Stef watched her breathing increase, knowing what effect this would be having, but Donald was already speaking before she could comment.

"They'll find him the same way they found me. It's easier than you think -"

"God, nothing about this is easy!" Callie snapped, unable to contain the swirling voices any longer. "If it had been easy you wouldn't have lied to me in the first place." she added through a rasp at Donald whose head drove down, his sensitivity much more frustrating than endearing. Stef put her hands on Callie's shoulders, partly as a warning but mostly for comfort as Callie took in the feeling but quickly found herself pulling away.

"Please, just - I need some space." her voice dropped along with her eyelids as she tried to regain her composure. She couldn't think with Donald's apologies or with Jude's tears or even with Lena and Stef's motherly bearing. How could she process this decision for herself when everyone around her was overwhelming her senses?

"I need to go to the bathroom." she moved off towards it as the adults nodded and watched her go.

"I am sorry, I don't think me being here was a good idea." Donald apologised as soon as she was out of earshot. He fidgetted with his tie as Jude watched him anxiously.

"No, it was...it was necessary." Stef gulped out, more concerned with Callie than reassuring her father - after all she couldn't say she didn't share her daughter's frustrations with him, as futile as she knew it was to waste energy on regretting the past.

"Look, we appreciate it. Callie does too." Lena assured him, noting Stef's wandering eye. "She's just got a lot to deal with right now."

He nodded, sadly looking to Jude as another awkward silence gathered.

"Well, I guess I should head back." he looked to the door and back to them. "I'm assuming she doesn't need me to say goodbye. You know where I am if you need me." he shuffled as Stef nodded. "Anything at all, really. I'd do anything for her. For either of them." He flicked his eye to his son as Jude peeked out from behind Stef, his Dad taking the opportunity to squeeze his shoulder.

"Well, you be good, kiddo. I guess we'll be in touch again soon." Jude looked up to him with a gentle nod, still unsure of how to process these interactions. They lingered awkwardly as Donald glanced his thumb in a soft pinch of Jude's cheek and nodded a farewell to Stef and Lena. Stef put her arms over Jude's shoulders, pulling him in tight

"Listen baby, we will sort this out, I promise." She kissed the top of his head.

"You mean you'll help her to find him?" he asked as both Moms exchanged a nervous look.

"If Callie wants to find him, then yes." Stef replied as his eyebrows creased down.

"What do you mean..._if?_ If she doesn't then she doesn't get adopted - that's what the judge said." Lena threw another fast look to her wife but quickly hid her concern with a smile as she crouched down and took Jude's hand.

"Sweetheart whether the adoption becomes official or not Callie will still be part of the family."

"She doesn't want to look for him, does she?" he asked downhearted. He could read between the lines well enough and he had picked up on the subtleties based on their mannerisms and Callie's prior reluctance to talk about the outcome of the case. Any time it had come up she had avoided giving him any answer. Lena brushed his cheek with her thumb, Stef still pulling him back against her stomach.

"We don't know what she will decide to do but that _is_ a possibility. It's a hard choice to make and it's important we respect Callie's decision, whatever it is." she explained gently.

"But then we'll not officially be brother and sister..." he further reasoned.

"Hey, you'll always be brother and sister - whatever the courts say." Stef shook him gently. It'll be just like the last few months, and we've been doing OK, haven't we? Apart from Mama eating us out of house and home." she dropped in playfully as Lena squinted through a smile, relieved to see a flicker of one on Jude's face.

"Speaking of which, we are going to need to get something to eat." Lena straightened up. "I don't know about you guys but I could really do with some pickles, bacon and ice cream."

"Not together though?" Jude winced as Stef winked at Lena, even though she was joking. Well, partly joking.

"How about you two decide where to go and I'll got get Callie?" Stef patted Jude's back as he transferred under Lena's arm.

Lena could still see Jude's mind was buzzing away as they sat down. She put a hand on his back and rubbed a circle round as he slouched forward. He couldn't believe that a day that had started out so perfectly had taken such a turn. He couldn't help but feel the guilt from his being settled and Callie not, but he felt even more guilty for not being able to understand why she would choose anything else.

"Baby, if you have any questions you know you can always ask." Lena spoke quietly, reading his mind.

He turned back, a swell of emotion running through his piercing eyes.

"Why doesn't she want to just seal it?" he shrugged. "I only got adopted because I thought she'd be joining me. It's not fair if I am adopted and she isn't..." his pace quickened as Lena began to rub his back again.

"Honey, you being adopted is what Callie wanted most of all. Trust me, that knowledge will be making this easier for her - not harder." she leaned forward to make sure he could see her face.

"And as far as finding Robert Quinn goes, I think it's just a little scary for her. It's the involvement of another parent and someone she doesn't know. Someone who seems to have already abandoned her once. She may think it's easier not to find out any more - finding out about him in the first place was hard enough for her, let alone if there's a chance his involvement could make things more difficult."

"Is she worried he'd say no? Could he do that? If he left our Mom why would he want to take her away now?" Jude's face flushed with fear as Lena took his hand.

"If he did we'd have a safe platform to fight him." she squeezed tightly but Jude couldn't help but puff out his chest.

"That's what you thought today." He whimpered. Lena paused seeing it was pointless pretending the risks didn't exist when Jude was old enough and, sadly, experienced enough to know that those kinds of promises couldn't be kept.

"I cant promise you it won't be complicated - but I don't want you to worry either. Callie's 16 and her desires will be taken into account by the judge. You're with us which is another strong point and if it ever came to it, we would be putting everything we could into keeping her here. Ultimately though this is why it's important that Callie gets to decide how far she wants this to go. There _are_ risks and as much as we can help her decide, it's important that we don't put unnecessary pressure on her. That's important for you too though, which is why it's important you talk to us if you need to. That's what we're here for - to be there for both of you."

"I know." Jude nodded swiftly. "And I don't want to make it harder for Callie." He shrugged as Lena brushed his cheek again through a smile before kissing his forehead. "I just wish so bad that he'd said yes."

"You're a good brother." she whispered, shaking him gently. "And one thing that is certain is one day this will all be sorted. Callie will never not be here for you and we will not give up being there for Callie. You're our children."

Jude took a deep breath and settled back into his chair under Lena's arm. He wanted so desperately to believe her and part of him knew he did - he just wished for once something had gone Callie's way.

* * *

Callie hunched over the sink in the bathroom. She was surrounded by marble and gold but it was nothing more than the cold reality of her situation. More rules and fancy regalia kicking her in the gut at any opportunity. She had prepared for this, deep down she had. Part of her had never let her believe it would go well - but that didn't make the blow easier. She felt sick about the thought of having to justify her decision to everyone - knowing people would be asking questions. At the same time however, this confirmed it even more. She didn't want any more courts, any more hammers. No more social workers or lawyers - she just wanted to be at peace and right now the environment she was in was giving her as much of that as she had ever had. Sure the adoption would have been nice, but could she ever really pretend that it was going to have worked out. That just wasn't her life.

She splashed some water in her face and looked up to the mirror.

"You've made the right decision." She whispered out loud, hoping it would get easier to believe as the day went on.

She heard the door open and got ready to work up a façade for any strangers walking in. As it turned out, it was Stef. That was almost more of a reason to fake composure even though she knew it was futile. She wanted to convince herself she could handle this but she knew that a touch right now would tip those true feelings over the edge. As Stef approached, she grabbed a paper towel from the holder and handed the to Callie to wipe her face.

"I'm sorry I was...well that I stormed out. I just couldn't take it." She shrugged as Stef turned her round, ignoring the comment. She pulled her in tightly, Callie squeezing her back in return even though she knew where it would lead. Stef knew there weren't any words right now that would help. She moved her hand up her daughter's back and gripped it tight around the back of Callie's neck feeling her shake a little as a few tears gathered. Callie cursed herself, this being exactly what she had wanted to avoid. She didn't want to get emotional - she didn't need to get emotional any more. It didn't help.

_"God."_ She whimpered out, unable to control it, as Stef held her tighter, still wanting to let her express herself before offering any words.

Callie moved her hands off Stef's back to wipe her eyes as two sharp breaths caught her throat and she stuttered out some more tears. Now she was full on crying despite trying to fight it. Unable to take it any more she pulled off Stef and launched back against the sinks.

"Why am I crying - I knew this would happen." She whimpered, pinching her eyes as Stef took a deep breath and shimmed next to her, handing her a tissue from a pack in her pocket.

"Love, there's nothing wrong with being disappointed. You shouldn't be ashamed for wanting things to go well for once."

"But I knew it would happen, I was stupid to think otherwise. " She shot back before she was cut off with equal sharpness.

"Hey, stop that." Stef replied sternly. "I'm not gonna let you blame yourself for any of this. There is no shame in having had hope."

"I can't do it, Stef. I just _can't_ go there - but how can I tell Jude?" Her eyes bulged as Stef shook her head and took her under her wing again.

"I think you really need to start listening to me when I tell you to _stop_ worrying about Jude. He's going to be fine and so are you. Please, love. Just stop being so hard on yourself." She shook her firmly, rubbing her arm and touching the back of her other hand against the tears on Callie's cheek.

"If you don't want to find him then no-one is going to make you - and either way, it's not like you can't change your mind if one day you want to. There's no reason anything has to change now, we've been coping OK, right? And then when you're eighteen you'll never even have to think of anything like this again."

Callie nodded with a sniff. She couldn't deny that hearing the words being said by anything other than her own brain was more convincing. She could feel a rush of calm flowing through her. Ultimately Stef was right - she had barely even thought that there wasn't a rush on this decision - the deadline of determination had been today, and that had passed. From here on out adoption may be further out of her hands, but that didn't mean that she couldn't change her mind if she wanted to later on. She had been so focussed on it working up to this pressure point that she had forgotten things didn't have to change after today - in fact the only definite change would have been had it gone through. She would never feel completely secure, but she would feel as secure as she had done over the last few months and that hadn't been so bad.

"We've already talked to Jude about things." Stef interrupted her thoughts. "Lena is probably explaining it to him even more right now. You don't have to worry about doing that, you just have to worry about what you want for lunch." She added as Callie burst out a laugh through a lingering sob, not expecting the sudden shift. She looked up at Stef's proudly unashamed smile before diving her head back against her mom's chest.

"For a second I thought it would work, what Donald said." She admitted as Stef rubbed her arm softly.

"Me too, baby." she whispered back. "And you know, although this isn't a nice situation to be in, Donald must have really loved you to take that responsibility on and want to protect you." She looked down before staring at her vulnerability and suddenly understanding a common theme. "But then I can relate." She added with a glint in her eye.

"I know." Callie croaked out. "I know he did...and I know."

As Stef swung her hand round to take her other, she rotated Callie gently into another squeeze.

"And you ever change your mind, or even want to just talk it through again, you tell us - straight away. Even if it's when you can't sleep in the middle of the night. It's never too late to talk about it or to think it over, either way." She assured her as Callie regained the strength in her voice as her breakdown subsided.

"I will." She nodded. "And I appreciate it. I really do - you have no idea..."

"Hey - " Stef looked down to her. "We know, don't worry." She wiped away her last tear as Callie sniffed and moved off, washing her face once again as Stef handed her another paper towel.

"Alright, you ready?" she asked as Callie nodded and breathed deeply, ready to face Jude and Lena.

"Can you tell I've been crying?" She winced, slowing as Stef shook her head with a gentle smile and took Callie's hand.

"You look beautiful." She winked before dragging her out, ignoring her insecurity.

As they approached Lena and Jude, the young boy leaped up out of his chair, Callie slowing even further as she approached. He wavered for a second before throwing his arms around her again. He didn't say anything as she brushed a hand through his hair, savouring the moment.

As he eased his grip he looked up and she gripped his neck behind his ears.

"I don't need the piece of paper if you don't." He whispered. "I just want you to be happy."

Callie tried not to start crying again as she pulled him back in. She could see that he was just as devastated as she felt, but his approval meant everything to her. She looked over to Stef and Lena, knowing they were responsible but she couldn't begin to find the words to thank them for it.

"Alright, we need to get this baby fed." Stef rubbed Lena's stomach. "I can hear it growling - _it's most definitely your daughter_." She added as Lena raised her eyebrow patting her hands on Stef's back before reaching one out to encourage the children forward.

As Callie guided her little brother out, her mothers shadowing behind, she did her best to leave her reservations and second guesses in the court. She had gone in and faced the reality and now that page was turned. Now she just had to keep moving forward and continue to take each day as it came.

* * *

**OK - that will probably be the end of this fic now unless anyone can think of anything else that relates. I guess this is where _Opening Closed Doors_ would pick up! I would love to know what you thought and if anyone would like to see anything specific - so if you could leave a review I would love it :)**


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